


Sudden Movements

by aretia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Halloween, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 04:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Thace and Ulaz experience their first Halloween on Earth with the help of Keith, but there are some aspects of human culture that aren’t so fun.





	Sudden Movements

**Author's Note:**

  * For [basedongalra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/basedongalra/gifts).



> pinch hit fic for Basedongalra for the Galraween event!

After the war was over, many Galra settled down on Earth and helped them rebuild, rather than return to what remained of the Galra Empire. The Earthlings were quick to accept them, especially those who had aided the resistance as members of the Blade of Marmora. An abandoned hotel nicknamed the Galra Hostel became their new headquarters, and Thace and Ulaz made their home there as the changing seasons introduced them to more Earth traditions.

Thace’s nephew, Keith, tried his best to help his uncles understand Halloween on Earth. He wasn’t the most experienced with it himself, since he had spent the first half of his childhood in the desert and the second half at a military boarding school, but he told them what he knew from spending time with the paladins. Halloween was about dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, and watching scary movies. 

The costume part was effortless. Most humans still weren’t used to seeing Galra in everyday situations, so they might think Thace and Ulaz looked like they were just wearing convincing special effects makeup. Thace and Ulaz wanted to take part in the fun instead of just taking the easy route, so Keith came up with the idea of dressing them as monsters from human culture. Thace was a “werewolf,” in ragged clothes with his fur teased up for maximum fluffiness, and Ulaz was a “vampire,” wearing a formal suit, red velvet cape, and fake plastic fangs that jutted out over his lips.

Trick-or-treating was a little more difficult. Children rarely wandered near the Galra Hostel, as prejudice against Galra was still rampant even though the community knew they were allies. The half-ruined hotel somehow looked less intimidating when it was covered in fake spiderwebs and blood spatters, however. Thace and Ulaz went all out with their decorating to try and draw in some trick-or-treaters. The ones who showed up were rewarded with giant candy bars handed out by Thace. Several of them thought he was a big fluffy kitty, and tried to climb up him and grab his ears. If they got too touchy and made Thace uncomfortable, Ulaz would come out from behind the door and bare his fake fangs, and that usually chased them off. 

“You didn’t have to scare them so badly,” Thace chastised him as they locked up the doors once they ran out of candy. “They’re just little kids.” He brushed loose hairs off of his arm where one of the kids had yanked on it. 

“They were pulling your fur out by the roots, what was I supposed to do?” Ulaz retorted. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“I can fend for myself,” Thace said, rolling his eyes and slipping his arm around Ulaz’s waist. 

“You didn’t act like it,” Ulaz replied. 

Once the sky was pitch black and the children had returned home from the streets, Thace and Ulaz retreated into the common room of the hotel, and flopped down on the couch, Thace resting his head against Ulaz’s shoulder. They were exhausted from dealing with the rowdy kids, and took a moment to doze on the couch before the doorbell rang again. 

Thace drowsily stood up and walked to the door, leaving Ulaz to rest. “Who in their right mind is trick-or-treating this late at night?” Thace muttered to himself. He opened the door, and discovered that it was Keith. 

“Keith!” Thace greeted him, sweeping him up into a tight hug that lifted his feet up off the ground. Keith groaned as the air was squeezed out of his lungs, and Thace set him back down on the floor. “I was wondering when you were going to get here.”

“Sorry. It was hard to pull myself away from the paladins’ Halloween party,” said Keith. When Thace looked embarrassed at dragging Keith away from his friends, Keith amended, “But I promised you guys a movie night, so I didn’t want to let you down.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a handful of DVDs.

“Thanks, Keith,” Thace said as he led Keith down the hall. He glanced at Keith’s black shirt, which had the text “This is my costume” on it. “You didn’t put much effort into your costume, did you?”

Keith snorted. “Well, I’m sure my paladin armor or my Blade of Marmora suit would be a hit if I was going out to a rave,” said Keith. “But I was just hanging out with my friends. I don’t need to impress them.”

Thace nodded, smiling at how comfortable Keith was when talking about his friends. When they had taken Keith into the Blade, he had a hard time believing that he belonged anywhere. After years of unwavering support, Keith learned how to open up to his friends. He still enjoyed spending time with his family too, and for all of that, Thace was grateful.

“Ulaz, Keith is here,” Thace called out when he walked into the common room. Ulaz startled awake, and got up from the couch to envelop Keith in an equally back-breaking hug. 

“It’s good to see you, Keith,” said Ulaz.

“You too,” Keith replied. “Ready to watch some scary movies?”

Keith sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Thace and Ulaz, who snuggled close to each other as the movie began. 

A person was walking through a dark room, navigating with only a flashlight. Suspenseful music swelled in the background, and Thace clutched Ulaz’s arm. Thace covered his eyes with his hand, parting his fingers only slightly so that he could keep watching. The beam of light fell on a mirror, and a monster jumped out of it and filled the screen.

Thace screamed. He buried his face in Ulaz’s chest, and Ulaz wrapped him in a protective embrace. 

Keith, concerned, dove for the remote and paused the movie. “Thace, are you alright?” he asked.

“Thace?” Ulaz prompted him, nudging the top of Thace’s head with his chin. Thace, still trembling and clinging to Ulaz’s chest, gave a slight nod. “He’ll be okay,” said Ulaz. “Thace doesn’t react well to sudden movements.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that,” said Keith, his voice aching with guilt. 

“It’s okay,” said Ulaz, while he stroked Thace’s back and ears and made soft cooing sounds. Thace’s heart rate began to slow down from Ulaz’s calming touch, and he nuzzled against his mate’s neck gratefully, beginning to let out a quiet purr. “Frankly, I don’t understand the human custom of seeking out things that are intended to frighten you.”

“It’s supposed to be fun?” Keith said with uncertainty, like he wasn’t sure himself. “You guys have seen so much, I figured that a horror movie would be nothing to you. I’m sorry.”

Keith had a point. The monster on the screen wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the druids, but there was a good reason why Thace wasn’t comfortable with things that popped out of nowhere. He didn’t want to relive that. 

Thace peeked out from Ulaz’s shoulder and glanced over at Keith, who looked miserable. Then, he shifted away from Ulaz, and scooted across the couch to hug Keith. “It’s okay, Keith. I… really don’t like being startled. But I didn’t mean to panic and ruin your Halloween fun.”

“Don’t worry, I brought other movies,” said Keith, with a slight smile. He changed the DVD, and put on something with cartoon characters that were somewhat grotesque, but just enough to be funny looking, and without any more jump scares to startle Thace. Thace lay sprawled out in Ulaz’s lap while they watched the movie, and his body relaxed, shedding the stress of having been startled by the first movie. Ulaz continued to card his fingers through the fur on Thace’s ears. The soothing movement lulled Thace to sleep, and he was happy that he had spent his first Halloween on Earth surrounded by the love of his family.


End file.
